Barstow Police Officer Beats Unarmed Black Man with Baton During Arrest

A Southern California police officer beat an unarmed Black man with a baton throughout an arrest — which has echoes of Rodney King … however cops say this man instigated it.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, which exhibits an older gentleman retreating together with his fingers up whereas being pursued by a Barstow PD officer Friday afternoon within the desert group. The cop has his baton raised as he inches nearer, and finally swings on him.

You can see the officer seem to provide an order — which seems to be like he would possibly’ve been saying get on the bottom — earlier than manhandling the older man and subduing him. However, because the photog who took this famous, the cop begins to wail on the dude even after he is down.

He will get about 4 good swings on him earlier than different officers arrive to the scene and assist include the scenario. The man is then handcuffed and led over to EMTs, who briefly test him … and he is then led to a police cruiser and brought away. The man may be seen limping.

Barstow PD tells TMZ the person who took the beating is 43-year-old Gary Christian — whom they are saying was wished on an open felony warrant for a probation violation … and who this officer acknowledged on Main Street. BPD says the officer tried to make contact and place Christian beneath arrest, however declare Christian assaulted the officer not as soon as … however twice.

BPD says the officer deployed his taser unsuccessfully, at which level … the baton got here out. They say Christian was handled at a hospital for minor contusions to his leg … and was then booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept. High Desert Detention Center.

Barstow PD additionally says this … “The division has a duplicate of that video and would love the group to know {that a} complete administrative investigation will probably be carried out into this incident to find out if the power utilized by the officer was inside Barstow Police Department coverage and present legislation.” In different phrases, they’re going to look into this internally.

Of course, the comparability to the beating Rodney King acquired within the ’90s will undoubtedly be made. That incident led to damaging riots in and round Los Angeles — and in the end got here to have an effect on plenty of different LA-based occasions within the years that adopted.

The extra regarding half about this, although, is that Barstow PD had one other race-related police incident a couple of years in the past … when their officers shot and killed an unarmed Black in a parking zone as they felt an obvious menace. His title was Diante Yarber, a 26-year-old.

His household stated the killing was unjustified … however after a evaluation by the authorities, they discovered the officers had an inexpensive perception that their lives have been in peril, and that lethal power was warranted. They fired round 30 bullets at his parked automotive, which was in a Walmart lot.

Considering the historical past in that city already, one thing tells us the group is not going to take this newest incident very properly. Fact is, it definitely seems to be to be extreme power on its face.